Labs

Unlike the cheapest Canon and Panasonic cameras, the VP-D463 has a FireWire port that can be used for output and input, so you can copy edited footage from your PC back to tape for storage. A microphone jack is provided too, but there's no accessory shoe for mounting an external microphone.

As well as recording to MiniDV tape, the VP-D463 can record MPEG4 video to memory card at a resolution of 720x576 pixels. This could be useful if you want to record video and quickly upload it to the internet. The A/V output supports S-video, giving a good quality picture if your TV has an S-video

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input.

The camcorder is small, but looks a little boxy. The 2.5in LCD is a little dull, and it's not widescreen either. Surprisingly, this camcorder has no widescreen shooting modes. The menu system is clearly laid out and fairly easy to navigate using the jog dial by your index finger.

PERFORMANCE

Whether recording to DV tape or memory card, the quality of video was poor. Indoors there was an excessive amount of noise, even in well-lit conditions, and the edges of objects weren't well defined. In low light it had trouble focusing, noise increased further and there was no detail in darker areas.

Outdoors it fared little better. The results were greyish and darker than expected. Detail was poor, and there was plenty of image noise.

The battery mounted on the rear of the camcorder is rated at 800mAh. It lasted for a respectable hour and 25 minutes, but given its size we expected it to run for much longer.

VERDICT

This camcorder includes some useful features, but it has no widescreen mode and the video it records is poor. We prefer Canon's MV930, which is cheaper and records better footage.